The response to the exposé by Critical Thinker on the forums was intense.
The regular players weren't fools, and while critics of 'TheBoss' had remained silent for too long, the growing evidence was impossible to ignore.
"Are 'TheBoss' and 'Leo Skyshard' actually the same person? But how is it even possible to have two IDs in the game? I don't know of any other player allowed to have dual in-game identities. It just seems implausible—"
"I've always found it odd that a 'Merchant' class player could top the rankings. Sure, Leo Skyshard is a highly successful merchant and alchemist, with his products in high demand, but something feels off. No matter how wealthy he is, under no circumstances should a merchant outrank Maestros like DarkEmperor."
"I stand with those questioning 'TheBoss' and Leo Skyshard. One of them needs to speak up, or I'll be convinced there's something shady going on."
"Hey, everyone. I'm a player known as 'Big Dawg.' I might not be a big name in the game, but I do have some credibility. I'm one of the fortunate few who have met 'TheBoss' in person, and I can assure you: he and Leo Skyshard are not the same person. The connection between them is undeniable, yes, but assuming they're one and the same is a stretch.
From what I understand, Leo Skyshard is more of a financial backer for 'TheBoss.' While what 'TheBoss' provides in return is still unclear, they are definitely two distinct individuals."
A flood of comments followed Big Dawg's post, as everyone seemed to have something to add to it:
"Oh come on, Big Dawg. You expect us to believe that? This is way too convenient! The level gain patterns are too exact. Either you're in on it, or you're being played like the rest of us."
"Maybe you all are just mad that TheBoss is better than you. Ever think of that? He's been the top player for years, and Leo Skyshard is a genius merchant. They're good at what they do, stop acting like every high-ranker is a cheater!" said one of TheBoss's loyal fans.
"Exactly. The jealousy here is insane. TheBoss grinds harder than anyone in this game, and now people are crying because he's untouchable. Get good or stay salty."
Others, however, weren't so kind. The conspiracy theories ran wild:
"What if this is all rigged from the start? Maybe TheBoss and Leo Skyshard have a dev on their side. How else do you explain their insane rise?" one commenter gaslighted, pushing more players into outrage.
"Yeah, devs protecting their favorites while we're stuck grinding everyday? Sounds about right. We've been playing this game for years without answers, and now we find out it's all a scam!" another added, fanning the flames.
"What if they are not even real players? Everyone knows that Terra Nova Online is a hyper realistic game, what if 'TheBoss' is an NPC created just to support Leo Skyshard? What if it's all a big scam?" One player speculated, as his post in particular got hundreds of thousands of reshares.
"Scam? You all are seriously losing it," came a trollish response. "Next you'll tell me TheBoss is secretly an alien overlord who's using us all as pawns in his galactic chess game."
The thread erupted with memes and jokes, as the forum's trollers joined in to have their fun:
"Breaking News: TheBoss to be crowned King of Terra Nova. Leo Skyshard appointed a court jester."
"When you're too good at the game, they think you're hacking."
"Plot twist: TheBoss and Leo Skyshard are both just highly intelligent pigeons with advanced AI implants."
In the midst of the chaos, cooler heads tried to intervene:
"Look, everyone needs to calm down. The devs aren't going to respond to this. They've never been obligated to tell us anything. Whether Leo Skyshard and TheBoss are the same person or not, it doesn't change the fact that we're all still here, playing the game, and nothing's going to stop that. No one can quit, so let's stop acting like there's some grand conspiracy."
"Exactly," agreed another. "Speculate all you want, but at the end of the day, we'll still be forced to log in tomorrow. You think the devs are going to care about your theories? Just enjoy the game for what it is."
Still, the controversy raged on, with players both fanning and extinguishing the flames in equal measure.
"You're all missing the point!" yelled another agitator. "The fact that we're even debating this means there's something fishy going on. This isn't about whether we can quit or not—it's about integrity. If they're cheating, we deserve to know."
"Deserve to know? Since when did the devs ever promise us transparency? It's not like we can do anything even if we knew the truth," a calm and rational voice replied.
But the final blow to the debate came with a chilling comment that silenced many of the heated voices:
"I work under Supervisor Leo Skyshard at the Arc Ship. If I don't get answers here, I'll confront him in real life tomorrow."
This final comment threw the forums into stunned silence as everyone waited, anticipating what would come next.
In the end, while nobody really knew who 'TheBoss' was or what his real identity was, 'Leo Skyshard' was a living, breathing person.
Because of the blunder that Leo made long back, by using his real name as his second account name, the whole world now knew who 'Leo Skyshard' was and where exactly he worked.
And while nobody could touch him in-game, it was impossible for Leo to avoid the questioning in real life, especially when workers under him met him daily.
It was like the situation had turned back to when he first burst out onto the rankings and everyone wanted to talk to him to find out his secret.
Later on that controversy died down when his successful products flooded the market, however, now with a new controversy in the making, Leo was caught in the midst of a big problem once again.